Around 120 people from the Kansas City area faith community gathered in downtown Olathe Thursday to push back against what they see as the rising threat of Christian nationalism while at the same time trying to promote a vision of equality and love and the rejection of racism.
Five pastors took turns at the mic outside the Johnson County courthouse to talk about recent calls for unity and what that means for people who disagree with the hyper-partisanship that has become attached to Christianity in some political circles.
Rev. Barry Dundas of Grace United Methodist Church of Olathe referenced the talk of unity in the wake of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
“Honestly, I get a little skeptical when I hear our politicians talking about unity. When these folks who are so good at creating division, and their rhetoric divides us even more, when they come out and start talking about unity,” Dundas said, “I distrust it, really, because I’m not sure we have the same definition of unity.”
Christian nationalism’s danger, Dundas continued, is that it encourages the belief that the United States is God’s chosen nation, and that the nation’s will and God’s will are the same.
Thursday’s rally was part of a months-long series around KC
The rally was the fourth in a series organized by MORE2 (pronounced MORE Squared), the Metropolitan Organization for Racial and Economic Equity, a social justice organization that advocates for equity in a variety of areas.
It includes 32 congregations, according to its website, including a handful in Johnson County.
Most of the people at the rally held printed signs mentioning the “beloved community,” a term popularized by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., referring to the notion of creating a community absent of bigotry and poverty and committed to nonviolence.
Speakers urged people to replace nationalism with the power of love.
The rally is part of a year-long campaign to illustrate the dangers of white Christian nationalism, according to the Rev. Dr. Stephen D. Jones, who organized it. Rallies have been planned once a month in various parts of the metro area through October.
“A really important thing to speak out”
The Olathe rally was planned before last weekend’s events attempted assassination of former President Trump, and organizers discussed whether to make any changes, said the Rev. Laura Phillips.
“But we felt like it was still a really important thing to speak out,” she said. “Ultimately we decided that our message doesn’t change much.”
Phillips, of Overland Park Christian Church, said white Christian nationalism appropriates Christian language and imagery to amass political power.
“We can be Christian, and we can be proud of the country we live in. We can be proud of the country we come from, but we can also stand against Christian nationalism and for the beloved community,” she said.
“We are speaking out against all expressions of Christian nationalism in all of its forms as a distortion of the faith,” Phillips added, “and we continue to oppose it wherever it appears for the sake of the Gospels and for the good of the human family.”
The Rev. Chris Wilson of the St. Andrew Christian Church of Olathe warned against believing that the loudest voices represent the majority.
“Christian nationalism is not a religion,” he said, but an ideology that is distorted and “seeks to pressure and misuse the term ‘Christian’ to forward a system that enlarges power and privilege to those that already have it.”
That ideology suppressed the voices that deserve a say in democracy, he said.
“White Christian nationalism is not about a path of love. It’s a path that promotes fear and blame to promote those that already have power in their grasp,” he said.
Wilson urged attendees to learn about the candidates and urged the crowd to get out and vote and educate others about the values of the “beloved community.”
The crowd dispersed after singing “We Shall Overcome.”
What did attendees have to say?
A few attendees who lingered said they felt the message was important enough to spend a weekday noon hour promoting.
“I just think, ‘Equality for everybody.’ That’s what we’re here to support,” said Janet Podoll of Lenexa. “You’re not a Christian unless you believe in equality for everybody.”
Jon Campbell of Olathe said he came because “I am very disturbed by how both Christian and nationalism have been co-opted from the vocabulary. I am not a Christian nationalist. I’m not a cult follower. I want to love my neighbor.”
Douglas Kinney, who drove in from the Waldo area in Kansas City, Missouri, said people, especially white people, need to get out of their comfort zone to speak out about Christian nationalism.
“We are the swing votes, and that’s why voting is so important,” he said.
